Love Sick
by phoebe.a
Summary: Sometimes the nice guy doesn’t win. Sometimes it’s the strongest that does. Kiba/Hinata


**Sometimes the nice guy doesn't win. Sometimes it's the strongest that does.**

There she was, oblivious and unaware of his love for her. She looks up to smile at him, he says something obnoxious; his only defence against her. At times he wanted to take her in his arms and tell her, tell her his biggest secret. But, his fear of rejection keeps his feelings at bay. She belonged to another, not officially, but her heart—the part that mattered—belonged to another.

"Kiba-kun," she utters politely.

"Hinata-chan," he says, mocking her. "Ya don't have to be so damn polite around me."

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to be."

"I was just joking, Hinata, it doesn't bother me. But, you really should get a backbone. Naruto won't wait forever, you know."

Hinata nodded in response to the advice.

There was a moment of silence where the two watched the nothingness in front of them. A second later, Akamaru walked up to his master and told him to make his move, now rather than later. Luckily for Kiba, his dog didn't speak human or else he'd be buried alive by the Hyuga clan, let alone Hinata.

"Shut up," He grumbled viciously at his best friend. "I don't need ya yapping at me all the time."

"What does he want? Maybe I can help?" Hinata, God-bless her heart, didn't know what she was saying.

"He wants me to ask you out on a date." He said offhandedly.

Hinata bent down to Akamaru's level and brushed the fur on his back.

"You're such a joker, Akamaru!" she says.

The dog shook his head and barked his protest. But, he still welcomed the Hyuga-girl's soft hand on his back. He grinned suggestively at his master and friend. Kiba growled internally.

"Stupid dog, you think you're so smart, don't you?" He hissed under his breath so that only Akamaru could hear, much less understand his rant.

"Hinata, you should lay off petting Akamaru for a while, I think he has fleas,"

"Oh," Hinata jumped back from the irked dog. "Sorry, Akamaru, I probably made it worst."

"Don't worry about that mutt, let's go train." Kiba gave his dog a snarky smirk and placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder to lead her to their training ground.

Akamaru gave a heated response to Kiba's gesture and walked away, probably back home or to chase cats. He knew when he was not wanted, or needed.

Training, the body was an easy feat for ninja. But, training the mind was in its own plane. It was frustrating being able to see but not touch. It was painful to smell but not have. It was pure agony to be able to hear but not have his feeling reciprocated. It was an unrequited love—unquenched, unattainable, and utterly lonesome. Her scent was permeated into his mind. It encased every inch of his heart, holding it captive in its immovable vice.

Kiba lowered himself into another push-up. Maybe a few hundred more would exhaust him enough so that he can sleep soundly tonight. He was using all his willpower to not let his eyes stray into watching his beautiful, fair-skinned teammate.

Hinata was working herself into a sweat. Her hands were almost invisible blurs around her. She used her hands to hit the wooden dummies with much gusto. _Shino doesn't know what he's missing_, she thought dully. A good workout always made her happier. At the moment, she felt powerful, she felt a little more confident than her usual self. She was currently feeling the mother of all _Runners' High'_s.

A few hours later, the high she was feeling wore off and turned into weariness. What was Kiba doing anyway? She turned her attention from her current sparring partner and gazed silently at her teammate.

Now, he was focusing all of his energy in to do his usual inverted push-ups. It took co-ordination, strength, and focus to accomplish this. Yet, only one word to destroy it all.

"Wow," Hinata sighed in amazement.

Kiba quickly turned his gaze to her, and then fell face-first into the ground under him.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata ran to his aid. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he rubbed his sore nose on his forearm. "It's nothing. I got tired, I guess."

"It is getting darker, we should go."

Kiba grunted in reply, and stood up. It was one of his more embarrassing moments. He wiped away some excess snot from his nose and tried his best to push the incident to the back of his mind where it can't hurt him as much.

XXXX

The twosome started their long trek home in comfortable silence. The silence was broken when Naruto appeared before them with Sakura in tow. Hinata's back straightened in apprehension, and she turned beat-red, flustered.

"Hey, Kiba! Hinata!" the blonde hero called out to them, "How're you guys?"

"I'm alright," Kiba answered coolly, more worried about Hinata fainting than anything else. "We were just training."

"H-hi, N-Naruto-kun," Hinata stuttered meekly.

"Oh, hey there, Hinata." Naruto looked her way, much to the girl's complete embarrassment.

_Why can't she act normal when he's around?_ Kiba thought ruefully.

"Sakura is finally letting me take her out on a date!" Naruto exclaimed joyfully.

"It's not a date!" Sakura announced. "We're just going to Ichiraku's, you guys want to join?"

"Aww come on, Sakura, it won't be a date if they come along!" Naruto whined.

"Either way, it's not a date!" The pink-haired shinobi replied. "So, you guys coming?"

Hinata shook her head furiously, her black-fire strands flailed about around her reddened cheeks.

"I-it's a-alright, w-we're n-not h-hungry." She smiled sheepishly.

Kiba could see the hurt hidden by her smile. The visible strain on her eyebrows and her voice told him that all was not well in her world: just as it was never quite right in his world.

"Thanks Hinata, I owe you one!" Naruto gave her a nudge on the shoulder.

Kiba was immediately on the defensive, ready to catch her if, or when, she fainted. This time, though, Hinata's rouge complexion did not change at all. Her arms hung limply at her side, almost lifeless.

"We'll see you guys later, then?" Sakura asked.

"Sure," Kiba answered absently, his focus now on the one person in whom he had spent the whole day trying not to focus on.

The Team Seven couple left a moment later after one of Naruto's lengthy ramblings.

"Ya, okay, Hinata?" Kiba asked gently. "They're not dating, you know. He's just messing with her."

"Y-you don't h-have to t-try to m-make me f-feel b-better, K-kiba-kun." Hinata seemed to shrink back into her precautious, nervous self.

"Now, don't you start stuttering, again Hinata. Shino knows, Kurenai-sensei knows, and I sure as hell know that you don't do that anymore. Why do you do it? What's so special about him?" He asked heatedly.

"I-I'm s-sorry, K-Kiba-kun. I-I can't h-help it." This time she hiccupped in distress. A single tear squeezed out from the corner of her eye.

Kiba scented it before it fell.

"Aww crap, Hinata, please don't cry. He's not really as great as you think he is. He's not even as handsome as me. Really, would you choose him over me?" He said jokingly, driving a sharp kunai into his already-bleeding heart.

Hinata laughed, and started to calm down somewhat.

"Y-you're so funny, K-Kiba-kun!" She smiled placidly as she tried to get her stuttering in control.

_Yeah,_ Kiba thought glumly, _pretty funny._

"Let's get you home before your dad flips out on me for keeping you out so late." He walked forward, Hinata followed behind him.

A few steps later, Kiba noticed that Hinata wasn't walking beside him. He slowed his stride to accommodate her shorter gait. But, Hinata only slowed her walking as well.

"You can walk beside me, ya know, I promise I won't bite." He mumbled, looking at her from a side glance.

"Sorry, Kiba-kun." Hinata walked faster to match Kiba's steps.

"What's wrong now?" He asked as he stared at her profile.

"Do you think that Sakura likes _him_?" She asked him.

"Who? Oh, you mean Naruto?" Kiba tried to buy time to answer the question with the least repercussion. "Of course, Sakura likes him. I mean, you like me right?"

"Yes..." Hinata looked up at him. "Yes," she confirmed.

"It's the same for them. They've been teammates as long as we have. It's bound to happen that they like each other, right?"

"I suppose, I guess." Hinata stared blankly at him, now.

"It's the same." He cleared his throat. "Sakura and Naruto, you and me."

"So, she likes him." She stated and turned her gaze back to the ground. "I won't have a chance now, will I?"

Kiba wanted to tell her that 'no, she didn't have a chance' so that she'll have to love him instead, but he loved her to much to do that to her.

"Of course, you still have a chance," he said charismatically. "Remember what you said before, you said that 'you'll train hard and become strong so that he'll notice you'?"

"But I'm not strong enough."

"Well, you're strong enough for me." He said mutely. "So, you gotta be plenty strong enough for him."

"But, Sakura's beautiful and smart and she's the best medic nin since Lady Tsunade." Hinata sighed.

"Since when does the best matter?" he asked. "She's still bossy and a loud mouth. Plus, she's scary when she's mad."

Kiba shivered at a not so particularly good memory of Sakura throttling him near death when Akamaru accidentally pissed on her shoe.

"Maybe, I have to be more like her. I have to be louder, so he can hear me." Hinata voiced thoughtfully. "Or maybe, I have to lose weight or something."

"No," This time, Kiba stopped walking.

Kiba knew that Hinata was in danger. His canine instincts were taking over him. He was only able to feel one set of emotions at a time when it controlled him. And right now, it was anger, frustration, and irritation. He couldn't control it much longer.

Hinata had to look back to see what was keeping him.

"Kiba-kun?" She uttered worriedly. "Does your stomach hurt again? Because I have some medicine with me. I just have to get it out of my—"

"Hinata, shut up!" he said harshly, voice rumbling under unbidden anger. Fury suddenly started boiling in the pit of his stomach. His control was slipping, his other form was taking over. "Don't say that!"

"I was just trying to help." She whispered timidly.

"Why do you..." Kiba started, incredulously. "Urgh! Sometimes I just can't..."

Kiba's long talons bit the fleshy part of his hands until blood soaked them.

_This_, he thought, _is a better pain_.

She walked to him, worried that there was something unusually wrong with him. "Kiba-kun?"

"Get away from me, Hinata. I don't know if I can control myself." He tried to soften his voice, but it came out as rough as sandpaper. His fists were shaking.

"You can't hurt me, Kiba-kun, I know you won't." Hinata said worriedly as she touched his bleeding hand.

"Don't, please." He whispered, pleadingly. "Don't change."

"What are you talking about?" Hinata gawked at him, confused. "Is it something I said? Is it my fault? I know it's my fault."

"No," he gritted his teeth together. His instincts telling him to destroy everything and anything around him, but his conscious mind and heart told him to keep the feeling at bay.

"It's not your fault," he hissed in pain. "Just promise me that you won't change."

Hinata sensed his struggle. "Okay, I promise, I won't. Kiba-kun, let's go home."

"You go ahead." Kiba was visibly better. His fists weren't shaking anymore. Her words had always been the strongest weapon against him as it was the greatest weapon for him.

"It's not a big deal whether I change or not, you know. Naruto will never notice me."

"Tell me then. Why do try, why do you even bother?"

"Because I want to," Hinata tilted her head to the side, confused at the question, considering that it was one she had answered a million times before.

Kiba's anger raised once more that the nonchalance response.

"You two are the same, you know that?" He shouted, voice cracking at the end. "Both of you don't have a clue!"

"Calm down, please." Hinata squeaked when Kiba roughly grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "You're hurting me!"

"Don't you dare say that!" His inner demon burst out in a fit of rage. "You don't even know the meaning of the word!"

Hinata was beyond scared, but she couldn't move, much less speak. So she kept her mouth shut.

Kiba struggled with his lack of control. In a last ditch effort, he pushed the object of his affections as far from him as possible and turned tail and ran away.

_Like a coward_, the voice in his head taunted. He was a coward. He ran back into the forest, not stopping for one moment. The sky was clear and the moon was out. He did not bark at it, but he did growl at its luminescent face. It reminded him of Hinata's pale complexion. He wasn't angry at her, and he sure as hell didn't want to hurt her, but his instincts were too strong. He looked down at his bloody palms and licked the crescent-shaped cuts instinctively. He wiped his hands on his pant leg afterwards.

Maybe it was just meant to be like this. She'd never known about his feelings for her, but he couldn't help but stay by her side.

"We're too different," he sighed in defeat.

He thought that maybe the stories his sister told him when he was younger were lies. It wasn't the nice guys who won; it was the strongest that does. His sister always told him that if he was nice to those around him, it would make him stronger. But he didn't feel any different. He only felt that throbbing pain that bruised, battered and unsung heroes wore on their chest.

"I give up." Kiba voiced. He stopped when he reached a drop off a mountain. "I'll never let her control me again. I'll forget about her and I'll become stronger."

"K-Kiba-kun," Hinata stuttered. "W-What's bothering you? Please tell me."

Her words brought him back like a brick falling to the ground. He realized that couldn't do what he had just said he'd do. He couldn't forget, just as he wouldn't like to be stronger if it meant that he couldn't see her anymore. He was weak, weaker than how Hinata viewed herself. He was also selfish and self-centered, but not enough to force her.

Kiba was back to his normal frame of mind and his voice came out in a slant whisper.

"You're bothering me, Hinata."

Hinata gasped in surprise.

"I-I'm s-sorry!" Hinata started backing away. "I didn't mean to do what it is that I did."

"Hinata," Kiba sighed. "Let's just get you home."

"But—"

"Please, just do this for me." He took hold of her shirtsleeve and steered her towards the Hyuuga compound. "I just have a lot of things to work though. Sorry I took it out on you. You had nothing to do with it."

"I can help, really." Hinata gripped his shoulder.

"Not with this, it's something I have to do on my own." Kiba answered curtly, annoyed. "Can you let go of me now?"

Hinata released her hold on him. She waited for him to crack a joke about how gullible she was, but the joke never came. She waited for him to tease her and say that they should go out on a date because that was the only way to fix his problem. She waited, but he just walked away.

"Kiba—"

"Can't you just shut the hell up, Hinata!" Kiba turned on her for the third time that evening. "We have to get you home."

Hinata gazed into his dark eyes, sadness lurked there, as anger carve a fissure on a point between his eyebrows. Gone was the joking, Kiba and here was the brooding, moody one.

Hinata knew she didn't stand a chance against him. But, she couldn't leave without know what was hurting him. She could sense that much at least.

"Kiba," she said without its usually toggled on suffix. "Tell me what's going on. I can help."

"Just stop—" he asked almost pleading.

"I might not be loud or brave like Sakura, but I can listen, I can be there for you." Hinata was having problems breathing, she was too upset to talk. It was the fourth time he had told her shut up.

It was then that he lost his self control. Kiba surged forward with graceful speed, latching his lips to hers. He softened the blow by wrapping his arms to hold her upright, melding her body to his.

Hinata was taken by surprise to say the least. She'd never been kissed before. The feeling was foreign to her, it wasn't what she had expected, dreamed about. After the shock, she opened her eyes. Kiba's eyes were closed. His mouth did torturous things to her. She couldn't think straight, his scent surrounded her, as did his warmth. His arms wrapped around her made her feel...it made her feel. His kisses were as demanding as she knew he was. Hinata could feel every emotion out of him pouring into her. It was a release for him, and an awkward burden for her.

Kiba grunted when she threaded her fingers in his hair and started to tug desperately at his long-ish tendrils.

"Sorry, I'm sorry." He pulled away hesitantly, breathing heavily.

Hinata stared at him, translucent irises wide in shock. Her fingers touching her scorched, bruised lips. Her breathing deep and hollow in her chest. Her face bright red.

"I tried to show you," Kiba ran a hand through his dark mop of hair. "because I couldn't tell you."

Hinata kept silent this time, without Kiba's backhanded prodding.

"Come on, please say something."

Hinata slowly turned around, and walked away from the pleading boy. Her mind in shambles.

"Hinata?" Kiba matched the Hyuuga's quick steps. "Say something, even if it's to say that you never want to see me again."

"I-it w-was my f-first..."Hinata stammered.

Kiba didn't look as concerned as she was.

"It was my first too." He voiced shyly, the curve of his cheeks turning a light pink hue under the screaming-red tribe marks.

Hinata looked at him in disbelief. Kiba Inuzuka, had never kissed a girl before her. Kiba Inuzuka had kissed her: shy, weak, Hinata. He had given her his first kiss just as he had stolen hers.

She looked at his eyes once more and stared him down.

"How long have you felt his way?" She asked evenly.

"How long have you been pinning after that knuckle-head?" He smugly questioned in return.

"Ten years." She uttered, unaware of his sarcasm.

"I've loved you longer." He stated seriously.

"B-but I didn't meet you until after."

"I count in dog years." His face broke into rueful smile. "So, if you've loved him for ten years, I've loved you for fifty-three years."

"But you're not even that old." She smiled back, despite herself.

"What're you talking about, I'm ninety-three years in dog years." He replied. "I've loved you for more than half of my life!"

It was only then that Hinata caught on as to what Kiba had been telling her.

"Y-you l-love m-me?" She stared wide-eyed at him.

"That kinda goes without saying since I kissed you, right?"

"But, why me?" Hinata twined her fingers together, shyly.

"Why Naruto?" he snapped back.

"Because he's confident, and I'm not," she expressed, dragging her eyes downwards. "And because he's the strongest person I know."

Kiba tipped her face up, to make her look at him, and gazed into her eyes. He took a few strands of her now-long hair and twisted it between his fingers. He opened his mouth for a moment to speak and then shut it again.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked, blushing at the unusual attention from her teammate.

"Nothing, that's the point," Kiba's gaze wavered for a moment. "There's nothing wrong with you."

"But you always tell me that I should be more confident." Hinata stated as an afterthought.

"I only say that when you compare yourself to Sakura or Ino. But for me, you don't have to change yourself. You don't have to be any more confident than you already are for me to notice you. You don't have to grow your hair for me, you don't have to bend over backwards for me to love you."

"But I love him." This time she said this looking at his face. "I've loved him all my life."

"I thought we've already been through this." He let go of her black-fire hair. "I'm not giving you an ultimatum, I'm not telling you that you have to choose me, because I can't do that to you."

"Kiba—"

"Just listen," He raised a hand to halt her words. "I just wanted you to know that there's an alternate option. That I'm here for you. Knowing that you know that is enough for me."

"That's painful." Hinata frowned at him.

"But it's almost bearable." Was his response. "What choice do I have?"

Hinata couldn't look at his sad eyes any longer. His pain was almost palpable. The pain she saw in his eyes would have been the pain seen in her eyes if Naruto told her that he hated her.

He took a step from her. "I have to go, Hinata. Sorry, I don't think I can walk you home this time." His voice cracked in the end.

"I never knew," Hinata tried to think through the chaos in her mind. "You were just Kiba-kun. I never knew."

"Please," he pleaded again. "Don't say that, now that you do know."

Kiba knew that he was at odds, and with Naruto no less. It reminded him of their battle during his first Chuunin Exams. Once again, he lost to him, in embarrassment. But the one thing that was different this time around was that Naruto didn't even know that he'd won. He didn't even know what he'd won. Sometimes the nice guy doesn't win. Sometimes it's the strongest that does.

Kiba wasn't a quitter, so he gave Hinata the last piece of his self-preservation. So that she could have the matching set of his being and his heart.

"I'm asking you out on a date for tomorrow," He began. "If you don't show up, I'll try to forget that his happened. I'll go back to being 'just Kiba-kun'. I'll do whatever you want, because that's the only thing I'm good at."

That said, he walked away. Half-hoping that Hinata will stop him and tell him that she changed her mind: that she loved him too. But, of course, he knew that would be a miracle. The one miracle he would never ask or pray for—because it wasn't what she wanted.

Hinata didn't say anything. He could hear her rushed breathing. He could smell her soft fragrance. He told himself that he was stupid to give her the choice. That he should pursue her until she chose him. Because, that's what would happen eventually, she would choose him because Naruto wasn't hers. Yet, he wanted to know if she would choose him on her own, without Naruto's unbeknownst influence.

XXXX

He was out of the forest and walked further. He didn't stop until it midnight. She would have already been home. She would have already been dreaming of her hero, Naruto. All he had was the memory of kissing her once.

"_I'll be there tomorrow, Kiba-kun."_ Hinata's near-falsetto voice echoed in the streets.

"Where are you?" Kiba jumped from side to side, whipping his head around toward every narrow street, looking for her. He couldn't smell her scent, and she gave no response.

With his hearing, she could have been all the way back at her family home, and he'd still hear her.

He managed to calm down somewhat and headed home. It could have been his mind deluding him, making him hear her voice. He let it go. He'll find out tomorrow her answer. As he walked with a lift in his step, he knew that he'd be able to sleep now. He still has a chance with her. For now, that was enough.

A/N: Yeah, this was my take on Kiba and Hinata's relationship. I wasn't a really big fan of this pairing, but it sort of grew on me when I thought of this plot. I couldn't make it fit with any other pairing, so I chose this one. I absolutely dislike unrequited-love scenarios [it makes me sad], but it didn't stop me from writing one. Big surprise there. Hopefully, those who like this pairing enjoyed it as much as I did writing it.


End file.
